is a Japanese

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band, signed to

Toy's Factory is a Japanese record label founded in the late 1980s as a subsidiary of the entertainment company VAP, based in Japan. On May 30, 1990, it was established as an independent company. Toy's Factory, as of the first half of 2012, is the four ...

. They debuted in 2003, with the album '' Aobozu''.

Biography

Hozzy, Kamei and Fujimori were originally childhood friends, all coming from

Odawara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in the far western po ...

. In 1999, they formed a band in called in 1999, that was a cover band for Japanese punk band

The Blue Hearts was a Japanese punk rock band active from 1985 to 1995. They have been compared to such bands as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Ramones.

. In 2000, they changed the band's name to

aobōzu is a Japanese (spirit) found in a number of Japanese legends. Stories about , in particular the exact details of the spirit, vary widely. As well as appearing in Japanese folklore, the has also been depicted numerous times in traditional Ja ...

(藍坊主) - the name of a mythical

yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as su ...

(Japanese folk legend ghost), however with a different kanji for ''ao'' (藍 instead of 青). In 2001, Yūichi Tanaka (a friend of Fujimori's since kindergarten) joined the band as its guitarist. The band then centred their live activities in their hometown, as well as around the Tokyo areas of

Hachiōji is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 561,344, and a population density of 3000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Hachiōji is located in the f ...

and

Shimokitazawa is a commercial and entertainment area in Kitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo. It is located in the southwestern corner of the Kitazawa district, hence the name "Shimo-kitazawa" (literally ''lower Kitazawa''). Also known as "Shimokita", the neighbourhood ...

. In 2002, the band produced their first self-published CD: . The following year, the band independently released their debut album '' Aobozu'' through Buddy Records, and had their songs featured on many punk compilation albums. In 2004, the band's drummer Kamei left, and was replaced by a classmate of Tanakas, Takurō Watanabe, as a session drummer. The band then made their major debut under

, '' Hiroshige Blue'', which reached the top 30 on the Oricon albums charts. Since then, the band has toured exclusively, gradually gaining more fame. Their 2010 album '' Mizukane'' reached the top 10 on Oricon.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

Aobozu Official Site

Toy's Factory Label Site

Aobozu staff+member blog
Japanese punk rock groups Musical groups established in 1999 Toy's Factory artists Musical groups from Kanagawa Prefecture 1999 establishments in Japan {{japan-musician-stub